The Biden administration at the moment does not plan to announce its decision on whether to ship longer-range missiles that Kyiv is seeking during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington next week, according to a source familiar with the issue.
Why it matters: Ukrainian officials had hoped President Biden would approve the delivery of the Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, a surface-to-surface guided missile system with a range of up to about 190 miles, next week, according to a Ukrainian source.
Thousands of members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) labor union went on strike against automakers General Motors, Ford and Stellantis on Friday.
Why it matters: The massive strike is unprecedented, as there has never been a strike against all three automakers at once, Axios' Nathan Bomey reports.
President Biden on Friday urged U.S. automakers to share more of their "record profits" with striking union workers to bring a quick end to a historic labor walkout that threatens his political and economic agendas.
Why it matters: Biden, who describes himself as the "most pro-union president ever," seemed to put his thumb on the scale in favor of the United Auto Workers, saying, "Auto companies have seen record profits…they have not been shared fairly with workers."
A jury on Friday acquitted three men charged over a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) and violently overthrow the state government before the 2020 election, AP reports.
Why it matters: The three men, William Null, Michael Null and Eric Molitor, were the last of 14 people who faced charges in state or federal court over the scheme, which prosecutors alleged was an example of "domestic terrorism."
Three Senate Democrats are asking for answers from the Department of Defense over Elon Musk's role in reportedlythwarting a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian military ships, according to a letter obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: Musk was heavily criticized for denying a request last year to activate SpaceX's Starlink satellite communications network over part of the Crimean coast to allow Ukraine to strike Russian ships at the Sevastopol Naval Base on the Black Sea.
The U.S. said on Friday it was issuing a new round of sanctions targeting Iranian individuals and entities that played a role in the "violent suppression" of protests that rocked the country following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody a year ago.
Driving the news: The death of Amini, who died on Sept. 16, 2022, after being detained by the country's morality police for allegedly violating a religious law requiring women to wear headscarves, prompted mass calls for greater rights and freedoms for women in Iran.
Rep. James Comer, the leader of House Republicans' impeachment inquiry into President Biden, has repeatedly exaggerated and distorted the findings of his investigation into the Biden family this year.
Now, with the spotlight getting brighter, even some of Comer's Republican colleagues and their aides are worried about him being the public face of the inquiry — and hope he'll take a more measured approach, according to four House GOP officials familiar with the situation.
Former President Trump denies ever asking a Mar-a-Lago staffer to delete surveillance video footage sought by investigators as a part of the classified documents probe that led to one of his federal indictments.
Driving the news: "That's false," Trump said when asked of the allegation in an interview on with NBC's "Meet the Press" that will air in full on Sunday. Asked whether he'd testify to the claim under oath, Trump said: "Sure, I'm going to — I'll testify."
The Biden administration notified Congress this week of plans to deny Egypt $85 million in military aid and redirect much of it to Taiwan due to concerns about political prisoners and other human rights abuses in Cairo.
The big picture: The administration was criticized by lawmakers for both not going far enough to hold Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's government to account for abuses including detaining political prisoners and for not assisting Taiwan enough in the face of threats from China.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said during an Axios event Thursday she is "fearful that any day" planes of migrants could be sent to L.A., as Republican governors continue to transport migrants to Democratic-run cities.
Driving the news: "What they're trying to do is destabilize cities … it's the narrative that these are Democratic-run cities and that we don't know how to govern and that everything is chaotic here," Bass told Axios' Russell Contreras during Axios Visionarios in Los Angeles.
Julie Sweet is the 55-year-old CEO and chair of Accenture — the largest IT consulting company in the world by workforce.
Why she matters: Sweet leads more than 730,000 people across 49 countries in roles that — because of Accenture's strength in strategy and consulting — ultimately drive how other companies harness change.
President Biden spoke with the head of United Auto Workers and executives from Detroit's three legacy automakers Thursday ahead of a looming strike deadline, the White House said.
The big picture: The union is ready to strike all the Detroit Three automakers at midnight if a deal is not reached – an unprecedented move that could disrupt the economy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to visit Washington next week to meet President Biden at the White House and hold meetings on Capitol Hill during his trip to the U.S. for the UN General Assembly, according to two sources.
Why it matters: Congress is currently weighing President Biden's request to approve more than $20 billion in additional aid for Ukraine.
